General Lab Stuff
- Please use the following link to schedule any of our lab instruments/TC laminar hood, in our online booking system: https://prodis.weizmann.ac.il/pls/htmldb/f?p=404:101:8434321045640:::::
- Put dirty glassware, racks, dishes and other labware for autoclaving on the cart OUTSIDE the lab (not inside). If there is paper at the bottom of the trays this means they are clean.
- Please request specific agar plates for your own experiments from Lital, or ConA plates from Yeynit - at least five working days in advance (preferably one week…).
- Plates are usually not poured on Thursday since they must be wrapped a day after pouring. However, if you know that you will be in the lab on Friday, you can ask to make the media on Thursday and you will be responsible for wrapping them yourself.
- If you notice that there is only one sleeve of plates left in the general plates’ fridge, please write it in the media ordering Excel sheet. Same for the AA fridge, the antibiotics boxes and the general liquid media cabinet. For the antibiotics – let Lital know by email.
- If any reagent in the lab is about to run out or you take the -4 aliquot of something, please ask Hanni (using the Excel sheet) to order immediately so that we can buy a new one in time. Please: 1) Add the item to the ordering list in the Dropbox (also do so if you have sent an email to Hanni – it will help her to keep track), 2) Ask for quotes from the distributor for the actual price for Israel in shekels (unless it is from Sigma or the warehouse) and add it to the ordering folder in the Dropbox. 3) If the item is regularly ordered, you should find a list of different representatives in the lab, in the orders folder. If you can’t find it in there, check the general email in the Lab inventory file, in the Order folder of the Dropbox.
- When ordering a service through Hanni, tell her what it is and point out if you are getting just data or physical products as an output. For example, when ordering sequencing vs ordering a plasmid synthesized.
- If you have a contaminated media bottle, put it in the sink (or if it’s extremely contaminated – in the chemical hood) with 1/10 volume of 100% bleach for 30 min and only then empty it down the drain and rinse well, before placing the bottle on the dirty glassware cart OUTSIDE the lab. Set a timer so that you do not forget it in the sink and please make sure that your name is written on the bottle. If the contamination is too big to go down the sink, empty it into the bio-hazard bin. Afterwards rinse the sink until there is no longer a smell of bleach.
If you see a contamination in a closed bottle or sleeve, either in the general stock or your own, notify Lital and write down the date of the media, and where it was stored.
- When growing strains in glass tubes, please put a sticker only on the lid (with one side not stuck hard) – DO NOT put a sticker on the tube itself or write on it with a marker. It is also better to use the “not cryogenic/tough spots” stickers since they are easier to peel off when cleaning, and cheaper. If you still insist on doing other stuff – please remove all before lab cleaning.
- Please use the cheap Lifegene tips for vacuuming and the old robot LifeGene tips for picking and vacuuming (they are clearly marked in the cabinet). Sometimes we get expired robot tips or they don’t fit our pipettors - they are also used for picking.
- When you want to plan an experiment, write every step you will have to do and put it in your calendar. This way there is a less chance that you will forget to do something in the process. Always check that you have all the materials you need and prepare them in advance. Take into consideration that there are things that you will have to order in advance which may take time. Also check that technical instruments with their functions, options and limits are available and are suitable for your experiment. If, for any reason, your plans change, please update the relevant staff/calendars and take yourself off the booking page for the instruments.
- If you lend something from the lab to someone outside the lab, please notify Hadar immediately by email/WhatsApp. Write: your name/who took it/what did they take/ their email/ their phone number/ which lab are they from.
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If someone comes for a plasmid/strain/library, make sure they have already cleared it with Maya beforehand.
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When you have finished working in the fume hood, make sure to close it all the way and switch off the lights.
- Commonly used shared solutions are found in the gel room. When the solution reaches the “lower line” please dilute it and make a new batch (from bought concentrate). If you open the one-before-last bottle of concentrate – make sure to order a new one.
- Do not forget to put bleach in the trap of your vacuum pump.
- Please clean your trap once a month (at least). Do not wait for lab cleaning day. Check and verify that the secondary trap (under your bench, by the pump) is dry. If it is not, notify Hadar.
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Clean the tube of the trap once a week by sucking ethanol or 10% bleach through the tube thus preventing anything from growing in it.
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When you see anything that needs to be bought/ made/ fixed, notify the person in charge of it as soon as possible (if you are not sure who it is, you can always ask Hadar/Lital).
- When leaving- If you are the last person to leave the lab at the end of the day, or if you leave any time and there is no-one else in the lab, please ensure to lock all the doors when leaving the lab. It is your responsibility to make sure that our lab is safe! This includes the: 1) main door towards Meyer building (just bang it shut, it will lock automatically. If you turn the key, the mechanism for opening with the code will not work). The door between our lab and the kitchen (activate the lock by pushing the silver lock on the side of the door down), 3) from the kitchen towards outdoors (just close, locks automatically).
- At the end of the day, to help save energy and protect our planet, please turn off your computer screens, any non-working pieces of equipment, disconnect chargers from the wall and shut down all lights in rooms not used.
- If you use a protocol and see that it is not updated, things are missing or can be clearer – please update it with track changes, send to Maya for authorization and then save it into the protocol folder with the changes accepted AND a note at the beginning of the protocol saying when it was updated and by whom. Then move the old protocol into the “old protocols” folder and send an email notifying the lab that there is an updated version of the protocol. To help others, you may consider adding comments in the document regarding specific steps.
- If using a new protocol in the lab that may be relevant for others, send to Maya to see if it would be worth adding to general protocol lists.
- Make sure to take your biohazard bag to the main Biohazard bin twice a week – every Monday and every Thursday. The Biohazard bin should NEVER be left in the lab over the weekend as Drosophila contamination can occur. Small- and big biohazard bags can be found under the sink or in the main Biohazard room.
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Never throw food in the bins inside the lab or Eva’s room. Food kept in personal drawers should be in closed packaging, to avoid attracting ants.
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If you encounter a persistent problem in the lab, write it in the lab’s WhatsApp group for quicker resolution.
- We re-use intact and dry ziplock plastic bags for wrapping Singer plates and for chemical waste (stored above Lital's desk). If they get torn, please put them in plastic recycling. We also reuse round plate plastic bags when people order less than a full sleeve from Lital.
- Before working with dangerous chemicals, prepare in advance a chemical bag labeled according to the chemical that you will be working with. Once you have finished working in the hood, put the bag in the chemical waste blue cart (in the same room as the biohazard red trash). If you are not sure which sticker to apply, check in the WeizmannNet app or this link: https://www.weizmann.ac.il/safety/chemical-sticker/. Do not leave your chemical waste in the hood! It will prevent proper ventilation and put others at risk. Residual liquids should be stored in an appropriate bottle, labeled with a sticker and disposed of in the same manner.
- If you need to learn how to perform a new lab technique (Planning primers, yeast growth, SGA, etc.) – check the file "Training responsibilities for new people joining the lab" for the appropriate person to help you out.
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If you wish to work with mammalian cells, read the TC-room SOP and protocols and get permission from Maya.
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When you order a chemical, add it to the chemical Excel with all the details.
- We have a lab desk-autoclave that can be used to autoclave only liquids, not glass or plastic ("Dry" autoclave) as there's no drying function (even though there are existing programs called "plastic" and "glass"). If someone wants to use it, please first ask Lital how to do so.
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Label the important things on your bench with your initials, as things disappear easily to other benches or rooms.
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Label your boxes (in 4ºC and -20ºC and Revco) with your name on them so they can be traced back to you. If you need more storage space, DO NOT randomly put your boxes where there is free space. Rather ask Hadar and get a set location so that we keep things organized.
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There are a numerous lab activities, lab tasks and meetings that are either mandatory or elective. All activities will be sent as invitations to your calendar.
- After giving a GM, check when your next GM will be and remind yourself two weeks in advance so that you start preparing in time. If your GM date changes, Hanni will let you know. When you finish giving your GM, please send your presentation to Hanni right away.
- Avoid working on other people’s benches. If you must work on someone else’s bench, ask for their permission first and then make sure to leave it EXACTLY as you found it and do not use their tips/pipettes/buffers etc.
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Do not take anything from other people’s benches without getting permission (pipettes, timers, buffers etc.). If you have to take something – put it back in the exact place and in the same (or better) condition than you found them, and let the person know.
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If you bring things with you for your work on a general bench space (DNA gel area, hoods, Revco area etc…) make sure to remove them and leave the area as you found it (i.e. clean and organized).
- If you finish some equipment (such as tips in the DNA gel area) or reagent (such as DDW/Buffers), make sure to replace them. (Not replacing the box because it still has one tip left, is not ok!)
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Respect other people in the lab by keeping the lab quiet – take loud conversations (meetings, phone calls) outside the lab.
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If you set a timer with an alarm, be sure to be around when it goes off or take it with you.
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If you need a quiet place to study/read/write, you can book any Mol Gen seminar room using Outlook, or you can order a room in the library. For more information: https://weizmann.libanswers.com/faq/300753. There are also a couple of rooms with internet connection from a wall socket that are optimal for zoom meetings (Meyer building M106, M218, M310, M403; Belfer building B225, B425.)
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When going on a planned vacation/ leave of any kind, first notify Hadar, Hanni and Maya. Make sure to leave someone in charge of your lab cleaning duty, everyday lab duties, and libraries you are maintaining.
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If you are responsible for bringing a birthday cake or preparing a gift and cannot make it, it is your responsibility to find a replacement and let Hanni know.
- You can get inspiration for a gift from the folder (office supply drawer next to Maya’s office) where we store good ideas for a birthday gift for every specific person. Feel free to use them or to add a note.
-Please recycle paper/industrial plastic/aluminum foil/plastic or glass bottles in the indicated bins in our lab. If one of these bins is full, inform Lior and Benjamin, who are in charge of recycling in the lab, and lend a hand to empty it.
Kitchen
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Everyone appreciates if you bring food/drinks when coming back from abroad.
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Mark your food in the fridge with name and date. Put stuff in sealed boxes (not hamgashi’yot)
We have a small grocery list hanging on our fridge where we can add items that should be bought for general use for the lab (i.e. salt, oil, condiments, tea, coffee etc.). Please use it only for such requests and not for personal food items.
Please always wash your dishes immediately and leave the kitchen sink clean. Store opened snacks in one of the sealable boxes from the bottom drawer in the kitchen. Do not leave cups on your desk.
- Dirty towels should be put in the plastic bag on the shelf under the window.
Please make sure the garbage can is closed hermetically.
The right middle drawer in the kitchen is for kosher dishes. If you don't know what that means, don't use the drawer or the dishes and don’t put your dishes there.
- The person on kitchen duty (once in the morning and evening) will put dishes back to their place when they are dry (after everyone cleaned their own things) and makes sure that food is packed away correctly. Hanni will send you a calendar invitation for kitchen duty. In case you cannot do it, please find someone to replace you.